Improved eitohing-stkap



@uitrit glatte ateat @frn JOHN D. MILLER, OF RUSSELVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

f Letters Patent No. 68,569, dated September 3, 1867.

IMPROVBD EITGHING-STRAP.

the Srlgthule maar tu in tipa tettas @that mit linking part nf fla sana.-

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONGERN:

Be it known that I, JOHN D. MILLER, of Russelville, in the county of Chester, and State of Pennsylvania, have made a new and useful improvementin IIitching-Straps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and correct description of the same, suilicient to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to fully understand and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which make part of this specification, and in which- I I Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention, and

Figures-2 and 3 are modifications of the manner of attaching the India'rubber.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The nature oi my invention consists in making a part of a bitching-strap of India rubber, as hereinafter described.

A, in the drawings, represents the buckle end of a bitching-strap, and B the strap itself. Between the two is inserted a. piece of India rubber, C, being round, and attached to the parts A and B in any suitable manner, as shown in tig. 1. Instead of attaching the piece C to the part B of the straps, it` may be provided with a loop, D, in which a chain or strap, stationary on the hitehing-post, may be secured, or in eases where the post is not provided with a chain or strap, a leather strap may be carried in the vehicle, to be fastened in the loop D. In iig. 3 another mode oi' fastening is shown. E is a metal cup, into which the India-rubber piece C is riveted, said cup being provided with a ring, I", to catch over a hook on the bitching-post.

The advantage of my improved bitching-strap will be readily understood. Horses, when hitched in the street to a pest, are continually throwing their heads back to bite4 at iies, which they cannot drive away by means of their tails, and in doing so give a violent jerk t0 the hitching, making them more restless, and tendingr to break the straps. By my improvement this is obviated, as the India rubber will give a certain distance, and thereby prevents the jerk. Horses often put their feet over the halter or bitching-strap, and as in pulling up their heads, they are unable to free their leg from the strap, the latter, in their ebrts to free themselves, chafes the legs often in such a manner as to render the horse unfit for further use. By using my improved strap no chang can take place in case of such an accident, as the India rubber will give as the horse raises its head, and will not prevent this movement, as in the other case.

I do not confine myself to any 'special length of the India-rubber piece, as it may be longer or shorter, to suit convenience or necessity; nor do I .confine myself to the shape ofthe same, as it may be square or fiat, though I prefer the round, as being the strongest.

I Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

As an article 'of manufacture, a halter or bitching-strap composed partly of elastic and partly of rigid material, as herein described.

The above specification of my improvement in bitching-straps signed this twenty-third day of July, 1867.

JOI-IN D. MILLER.

Witnesses:

ALEX. A. C. KLAUCKE, D. OURAND. 

